Editions

Melbourne Storm mirror Green Bay Packers with fan ownership model

When you think Melbourne Storm, NFL franchise New England
Patriots come to mind.

Highly successful, a complete professional organisation, led by
some of the greatest minds to ever bless the game.

But the Storm are on a mission to model one of their
NFL-comparison's rivals, taking a move out of the Green Bay
Packers' playbook with a fan ownership scheme that would see their
supporters take a piece of the club.

Melbourne chairman Bart Campbell announced the club is planning
to allow the public the opportunity to become shareholders by
personally investing in the franchise, taking fan engagement and
support to another level.

"When the owners took control of the Melbourne Storm five years
ago, we committed to explore the viability of the fan ownership
model once we had established a sustainable financial platform for
further growth. We have been able to achieve that objective with
the support of our fans and commercial partners and now is the time
for us to look at the future of our football club,'' Campbell
said.

"We see fan ownership as an innovative way to set the platform
to turbo-charge the ambitious growth plans we have for the Storm,
including doubling our membership to 50,000 by 2023.

"We know this is a complex issue and it will take some time to
fully understand the interest and detail of a fan ownership model.
We will keep fans up to date on any decisions that are being
considered."

If the model is not viable, Melbourne will continue with the
current model through owners Gerry Ryan, Matt Tripp and
himself.

In 2016, the then NRL-owned Newcastle Knights launched a similar
venture through the Our Knights, One Chance group who planned to
raise up to $20 million by issuing 40,000 shares at $500
apiece.

The plan never took off the ground and the club was later
acquired by Wests Group midway through last year.